Dispensing brush



June 9, 1964 A. BERGMANN ETAL 3,135,990

N fr f6 llllll INVENTORS ANNA BERGMANN B RENE JANSER W, Lam f 0M ATTORNEYS United States Patent r( This invention relates generally to brushes and similar articles and more particularly brushes of the type having a container associated therewith for the dispensing of a fluid during use of the brush.

It is frequently desirable to provide a brush with means lintegral therewith for dispensing a fluid during use of the brush. vTypical examples of such dispensing brushes would be, for example, a scouring brush with an associated soap solution dispensing container or a hair brush i with an associated hair lotion dispensing container.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a brush having associated integrally therewith a dispensing container operatively associated with the brush so that the contents of the container may be dispensed during use lof the brush.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a dispensing brush from which the fluid container may be removed and replaced as may be desired.

In the practice of the invention in a preferred embodiment thereof a suitable brush is provided with a fluid conduit between the funderside of the brush to which the bristles are attached and the upper surface of the brush. A pressure container is removably secured to the upper surface of the brush and the dispensing valve element in the pressure container is placed in communication with the fluid conduit so that upon actuation of the valve element the contents of the container may be dispensed at the undersurface of the brush.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a View in perspective partially in section of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view partially broken away of an alternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section transverse to the brush body showing the means of attaching the container to the brush body; and,

FIG. 4 is an exploded view in perspective showing the means for attaching the container to the brush body.

Turning now to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a brush indicated generally at 10 is shown having a wooden body portion 12 and provided at its undersurface 14 with a plurality of bristles 16 in the conventional fashion. The body 12 is shown constructed of wood although it will be understood that any suitable material may be used.

Positioned upon the body 12 at the upper surface 18 thereof, is a pressurized container 20 here shown of conventional metal design.

In order to receive a dispensing tube 22 hereinafter to be described a passage 24 is provided part way through the body 12 substantially along the longitudinal axis thereof; the passage 24 extends from an end 26 of the body 12 centrally therethrough. At a point substantially at the longitudinal mid-point of the body 12 a passage 26 is provided communicating the passage 24 with the undersurface 14 of the body 12. A second passage 30 is provided in general vertical alignment with the dispensing nozzle of the container 20 (hereinafter described) cornmunicating the upper surface 18 of the body 12 with the passage 24.

The dispensing tube 22, which may be of polyethylene or any suitable flexible material, is inserted through the passages 30, 24 and 28 respectively until it emerges from the passage 28 to form a slight dispensing nozzle 32.

3,135,990 Patented June 9, 1964 ICC It will be found desirable to initially form passage 30 of sufficient radius so that tube 22 may be easily worked through the cooperating passages and therefore it is found desirable to provide an annular stopper member 34 which may be inserted into passage l30 to hold tube 22 securely therein after it is properly positioned.

An upper end 36 of the tube 22 is inserted in' a dispensing valve indicated generally at 38 which is integral with the container 20 and which is initially positioned to be in substantial vertical alignment with the passage' 30.

No particular dispensing valve 38 is claimed herein as part of the invention but for purposes of disclosure a dispensing valve 38 having an internal ported ,/baflle member 40 provided with a pin member 42 which passes through a circular plate 44 at the mouth of the container 20 is shown. A flexible spring element `46 is positioned on the opposite side of the plate 44 from the pin 42 and upon axial movement of the valve element toward the container 20 the pin 44 is caused to deflect` the spring member 46 permitting the contents of the container to pass through the plate 44 and through the baille member 40 to the upper end 36 of the dispensing tube 22. The contents are thereupon passed through the tube 22 and dispensed at the nozzle 32.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 2 in which a manually compressible container 48 is employed in place of the pressurized container 20. The container 48 is shown of plastic construction and it'will be understood that any suitable squeeze type bottle will perform satisfactorily.

In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 2 the dispensing valve element 38 which is required with a pressurized container is eliminated and in its place a head 52 is fitted to the container 48. The upper end 36 of the dispensing tube 22 is fitted into the head 52 and communicates through a passage in the head indicated in dotted lines at 54 with a flexible tube 56 positioned within the container 48. It will be noted that the tube 56 is of sufficient length that end 58 thereof will normally reside at the lowest portion of the container 48 thereby maximizing the possibility of dispensing the entire contents of the container.

In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 2 it is only necessary to manually compress the container 48 to force a portion of the fluid 50 through the tube 56, head 52 and tube 22 to the dispensing portion 32 thereof.

The manner of attachment of the container to the brush body is the same in both the preferred and the alternative embodiments and is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The container, for example container 48 a portion of which is shown in FIG. 3, is secured, as for example by cement 60 to a collar member 62. The collar 62 is provided with an upper surface 64 which has a generally concave configuration upon which the generally convex container 48 may rest and to which it may be secured as by cement 60. The collar 62 is provided with a laterally extending flange 66 on one side thereof and a laterally extending flange 68 on the other side thereof. The flanges 66 and 68 are dimensioned to engage grooves 70 and 72 respectively which are provided in the body 12 of the brush as seen in FIG. 4. The grooves 70 and 72 may be cut directly into the brush body 12 or may be part of a preformed slide assembly 74 which can be secured in a suitable cut made in the brush body 12. A plate spring 76 is secured to the slide assembly 74 to bear against the undersurface of the collar member 62 to keep it firmly in position.

The operation of the device is as follows:

A suitable container is placed upon the collar member and secured thereto as by cementing. The collar member is inserted in the slide portion of the brush body by engaging the laterally extending flanges on the collar in the cooperating grooves in the brush body. The end of the dispensing tube is inserted into the dispensing valve element. The unit is then completely assembled ready for operation. To operate the dispensing brush it is only necessary to depress the dispensing valve element to discharge a portion of the contents of the container onto the area which it is desired to scrub.

It is our intention to claim all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for purposes of disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A dispensing brush comprising a longitudinal body portion having a substantially flat upper surface and a plurality of bristles extending downwardly therefrom, a combined container and handle member of cylindrical configuration for containing substances to be dispensed and capable of being firmly grasped within a users hand, means within said body portion including a dispensing tube for conveying said substances to the under surface of said body portion and means for connecting and disconnecting said dispensing tube and said combined container and handle member, interlocking fasteners on the outer curved surface of said combined container and handle member and said at upper surface respectively for removably securing said member tangentially to said flat upper surface, said interlocking fasteners extending transversely substantially only in the region of tangency between said at upper surface and said member to permit a rm grasp on said removably attached container and handle member while controlling the dispensation of the substance contained therein and simultaneously performing a brushing operation.

2. A dispensing brush comprising thecombination of: a body portion having a substantially flat upper surface and a plurality of bristles extending downwardly therefrom; a container serving as a handle member for said brush; interlocking means for removably securing said container to said body portion, said interlocking means comprising a collar member having a generally concave surface for engaging a generally convex portion of said container, laterally extending anges protruding outwardly from each side of said collar, parallel spaced ange receiving grooves extending along the upper surface of said body portion to terminate in transversely aligned flange stops, said grooves designed to interlock with the anges on said collar with one end of each said flange abutting one of said ange stops, spring means on said body member between said flange grooves for urging said collar away from said body member in order to firmly seat said flanges within said grooves, means for adhesively securing said collar to said container; means` for conveying the contents of said container to the undersurface of said body portion, said means comprising a tube extending from the vicinity of said bristles to said container, and means for connecting and disconnecting said tube to` said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,044,355 Cygon Nov. 12, 1912 '2,204,200 Wisner June 11, 1940 2,822,615 Durst et al. Feb. 11, 1958 2,849,737 Piccinini et al. i Sept. 2, 1958 2,972,768 Petion Feb. 28, 1961 3,008,164 Herman et al. Nov. 14, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 775,900 Great Britain May 29, 1957 827,725 France Jan. 28, 1938 

1. A DISPENSING BRUSH COMPRISING A LONGITUDINAL BODY PORTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT UPPER SURFACE AND A PLURALITY OF BRISTLES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, A COMBINED CONTAINER AND HANDLE MEMBER OF CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION FOR CONTAINING SUBSTANCES TO BE DISPENSED AND CAPABLE OF BEING FIRMLY GRASPED WITHIN A USER''S HAND, MEANS WITHIN SAID BODY PORTION INCLUDING A DISPENSING TUBE FOR CONVEYING SAID SUBSTANCES TO THE UNDER SURFACE OF SAID BODY PORTION AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING SAID DISPENSING TUBE AND SAID COMBINED CONTAINER AND HANDLE MEMBER, INTERLOCKING FASTENERS ON THE OUTER CURVED SURFACE OF SAID COMBINED CONTAINER AND HANDLE MEMBER AND SAID FLAT UPPER SURFACE RESPECTIVELY FOR REMOVABLY SECURING SAID MEMBER TANGENTIALLY TO SAID FLAT UPPER SURFACE, SAID INTERLOCKING FASTENERS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY SUBSTANTIALLY ONLY IN THE REGION OF TANGENCY BETWEEN SAID FLAT UPPER SURFACE AND SAID MEMBER TO PERMIT A FIRM GRASP ON SAID REMOVABLY ATTACHED CONTAINER AND HANDLE MEMBER WHILE CONTROLLING THE DISPENSATION OF THE SUBSTANCE CONTAINED THEREIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY PERFORMING A BRUSHING OPERATION. 